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the Concord Consortium Inc.
supported by
the National Science Foundation

This interactive module for grades 8-12 explores the special class of molecules that make up and play critical roles in living cells. They are referred to as macromolecules (or large biomolecules).In this activity, learners "zoom" in to view the molecular structures that make up living organisms. Choose from plants, mammals, cold-blooded animals, insects, and bacteria. Continue zooming in to see illustrations of cellular structure, DNA, amino acids, carbohydrates, lipids, and more.

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This item is part of the Concord Consortium, a nonprofit research and development organization dedicated to transforming education through technology. The Consortium develops deeply digital learning innovations for science, mathematics, and engineering. The models are all freely accessible.

Standards (9)

AAAS Benchmark Alignments (2008 Version)

5. The Living Environment

5A. Diversity of Life

6-8: 5A/M2. Animals and plants have a great variety of body plans and internal structures that contribute to their being able to make or find food and reproduce.

9-12: 5A/H4. Most complex molecules of living organisms are built up from smaller molecules. The various kinds of small molecules are much the same in all life forms, but the specific sequences of components that make up the very complex molecules are characteristic of a given species.

5C. Cells

6-8: 5C/M3a. Within cells, many of the basic functions of organisms—such as extracting energy from food and getting rid of waste—are carried out.

6-8: 5C/M3b. The way in which cells function is similar in all living organisms.

6-8: 5C/M4. About two thirds of the weight of cells is accounted for by water, which gives cells many of their properties.

9-12: 5C/H1a. Every cell is covered by a membrane that controls what can enter and leave the cell.

9-12: 5C/H3. The work of the cell is carried out by the many different types of molecules it assembles, mostly proteins. Protein molecules are long, usually folded chains made from 20 different kinds of amino acid molecules. The function of each protein molecule depends on its specific sequence of amino acids and its shape. The shape of the chain is a consequence of attractions between its parts.

11. Common Themes

11B. Models

6-8: 11B/M1. Models are often used to think about processes that happen too slowly, too quickly, or on too small a scale to observe directly. They are also used for processes that are too vast, too complex, or too dangerous to study.

11D. Scale

6-8: 11D/M3. Natural phenomena often involve sizes, durations, and speeds that are extremely small or extremely large. These phenomena may be difficult to appreciate because they involve magnitudes far outside human experience.

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